Method of operating gas-producers.



No. 888,785. ATENTBD MAY 2O, 1908. B. P. COLEMAN. METHOD OP OPERATING OASPRODUOBRS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25,1908.

METHOD F OEBATING GAVSv-PRODUCERS.

No. 888,785.' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 26, 1908.

Y Application led. January 25, 1908.' Serial No. 412,591.

To all ,wiomii may concern: stantially consta-nt speed by a suitable Be it known that l, EDGAR-l. COLEMAN, motor, not shown. 9 represents a receiver a citizen of the United States, and aresid ent or air trunk into 'which the fan Vdischarges ofBuil'alo, Erie county, New York, have and wherein a 'constant pressure of air is 60 '5 invented certainnew and useful improvemaintained. 10 represents a steam re- .jnents in Methods ci Operating GasProceiver. or trunk Ycorresponding to the air ducers, of which the following is a full7 clear, receiver, 9, and wherein, by the means hereand exact" description, 'such as will enable inafter described, a constant pressure of ,others skilled in the art toI carry out and steam is maintained. The pressures of air 1o use the same, and steam in the receivers, 9 and it?, are .soE -lly invention relates to dan improved proportionedas to yield the desired mixture'Y method of operating ges producers. of the two 1n the ti er of the gas producer A The object of my invention is to enable and said pressures eing maintained, (c. e.

the utilization of exhaust steam. in gas procontrolled bv valves) it is obvious that the 15 ducers and particularly to convert a varimixture will continue at a constant presable' 'supply of steam intoY a substantially sure throughout the period of the operation invariable supply at the gas producer, as ofthe gas producer.

Yre uired to produce the best results. l It will he understood that the gas pron I y invention will he readily understood ducer herein shown represents one of a 75' 2c upon reference to the accompanying drawseries or row oi producers and thatv the re i vings forming a part of this specification and ceivers, 9 and i() serve the entire' group. iu Whiclrl have illustrated apparatus for When a steady aud continuous supply of carrying my invention into effect; twit, either live or exhaust steam is economicallyl v for maintaining a substantially constant obtainable, the steam supply pipemay be 25 pressure and supply of steam at the twyer connected directly to the receiver,V it). ut of a gas producer. this is seldom the casa-particularly where Fi ure 1 illustratesa complete system of exhaust steam is to be used. The supply of this d; and Fig. Zis a detail view illusexhaust steam at anrT laut necessarily trating a modification of the form and arvariesin accordance with t e changing loads g5 33 rangement of the steam blower or comupon the engines used inthe plant. So far presser. tar as l am informed all attempts to use exin the-drawings,. 2, represents a prohaust steam under such circumstances have ducer and 3 the twyer thereof. Tais parfailed because ofthe {luctuation of the pres ticular producer is of the kind known as a sure and volume of the steam delivered to `35 pressuren as producer, the same being supthe gas producer. I take the steam having plied Wit steamand air, both under presvariable pressure due to fluctuations in the Sure. y quantities in which it is supplied from the *'Ihose who are skilled in the art will engines and reduce said variations of presreadily understand that my invention is sure to a smaller range by means of a steam 4G just as readily applicable to suction gas proregenerative accumulator and then variably ducers; the latter are distinguished from the compress `the steam at a point near the 4pror former by a 'suction fan or pump which ducers, thereby maintaining a constant pres- 'Withdraws the'gas from the top of the prosure at the producers. As Well shown in the duccr. Aracuum is created in a suction 'drawings I. employ two separate agencies; 100 V45 gas producer and the necessary quantity ol' first, a steaiuregenerative accumulator air is drawn into the' producer through the adapted to take-up an excess of' steam `vwhen "'tu'ycr; distinguished from the forcible the supply is greater than the demand. at the introductiolroi the air, in the case ot a producers andy to give oli steam when the .pressure producer. opposite condition prevails;y and, second, a `105 56 ln Fig. 1, el, 'represents the mixing box at l constant pressure steam compressor arthe end of the twyer. 5 and 6 are the air raugeddietween the regenerative aecumu-l and steam pipes that are connected to the lator and the gas producer and adapted to mixing box, 4, the lrst containing a hack maintain the desired terminal pressure-at the check valve, 7 to prevent a back flow of gas producer.v i 55 from the producer. The air is supplied by a blast fan, 8, which 'is operated at a sub- 1 resents the exhaust steam pipe or mam and Referring again to the drawingsill, repl2 a relief valve which open to atmosphere and determinee` the maximum pressure in the mein, l1. l

1S is an oil separator; t4. is e. live steam eonneetor containing a reducing valve, l5, adapted to admit live team to lhevexhaust main at :t pressure sommvhat lo\}'er than 'that et *which the relieltwalve operates.

il represents the .isteamuegenerutive aecunulhttor whieh is ljoined to the exhaust main h v a. pipe, lll. This part ol' the apperatus comprises a. drum, or shell. 1T, adapted to eontain a. hod v ol water. IH, and means for rapidly eireulatine` the water; said means` comprising the pump, i9, a eonueelion, 2l), near the.' bottom ol' the drum and a sprayer, 2]., to Whieh the pump delivers the water drawn through the eonneetion, 2t). l The Water stands at a level helo the sprayer the aeeumulator causes and 'the pump, 1S), is eontinutnlslv operated to eonstantly throw or spray the Waiter into the space, i7. i This space is occupied hy Stettin from the exhaust main and it is obvious that the intimate admixture el the steam end the witter through the zureney ol'l the spray, eauses the Water to take on approximately the same temperature as the. steam. The marintenanee of this heat relation is in suredhy the rapid eireulation of t he writer. Mere exposure of the surface ol the bodv of Witter to the steam would not aeeomplish the result. When the supply of steam mereases trom e. less 'to e greater `pressure in -the exhaust n'lain, the temperatme ol' the steam likewise inereaees and the steam entering;` the aeeumuhttor gives up its excess heat to the witter. Aportton of .exeess energy ol the Stettin is thusl stored in the water ol' the ae euniulator to he available during the time el zi future deficiency. (h1 the other hund when the. steam pressure deereaees, the re duction ol' the pressure in the steam space ol' waporation of the waiter which att the instant possesses a higher temperature, thus'u. large hodv of steam proportional to the degree. and duration ol the i temperature drop, is restored to the exhaust main und tends to maintain a desired con stent pressure therein. Should the Yllow ol exhaust steam he interrupted for sueh e length ol time es to exhaust the enpzieity of the regenerator, the 'redueiner valve, l5, :Lutomatiehlly admits live Stettin to make up the delieieney.

'.lheoretie-alljv the regenerative aeeumulator eould. he made. so large that the tempera.- tureandpressurevariations would he negligihle7 hut l'rom a praetienl standpoint this would not he eeonouneal hy reason olg the great eost and losses of au aeeumulator ol' sueh size. l therefore seeure. the eeonomie advantages oht..1.inahle from a. Iluetuatiug supply olI exgenerative aeeumulator and lluetuetions of l l l The device referred pump o;- eompreesor B. The; is uiterpoeed m the Stettin pipe, ll, between the. accumu-A later end the producer. It druws steam from the pipe section, l1', end discharges it into the seetiom il", which latter-:is eenneeted with the reeeiver, 1t). [Por drivinpr the pump l employ a. motor, 22, adapted to ope: ate nt varying speeds and governed h v a. regulator, 223-. 'lhe normal .speed ol' the pump is sullieient to maintain the desired pressure in the reeeivt-\r, lll, at times when normal renditions prevail in the steam main. ll the pressure, i. e., supply, diminishes, the speed ol' the pump is ilu-reused to maintain the pressure at the reeeiver, ill, and when there is an inerease ol' pressure in the exhaust main, the speed ol' lthe pump is decreased to prevent un exeess'ol` reseure at the reeeiver. This is aeeomplishel by the regulator, l, which, as shown7 is connected with the pipe, Il, to he inllueneed by the slightest change ol' pressure. therein. b are valves for shutting oli the pumpeonneetions and Il". is a bypass containing a'valve, b", Whichmey he opened when the pump is shut down. This apparatus effectively preserves the supply ol steam at'the producer se long it is supplied, either directly trom the exhaust main, the ueeumulator or the live eteeni'eon neetion.

il detail whieh is necessary for the operelion ol' the 'regenerative eeeumuletor oom* prises the l'resh {vet-er detieieney Connection, u'. haring a. lloat netueted regulating Valve, u, wherebyv the proper quantity et water is nminlaiired in the drum., 17, also lloet controlled overthiw vulve, e3'.

flu lieu ot the displacement pump illustrated in -Fig.l l, l muy use a; centrifugal pump, B; with ineens for operetin f the sinne zit-variable speed. ln this ease prefer to eonneet the live steam pipe, 14', to the terminal see-tion ot the steam pipe end also connect-thervalve thereof with the regulator, 23', in such manner that live steam 1s' admitted only when the pump` has z itteined its .meximum speed. 1

As various nlodi'lieations of my invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, l do not eonline the invention to the. specific steps herein described.

.Having thus described my invention, I elaim as new and desire to eeeure by Lettere Patent:

1.l 'lhe herein deeeribed method of operating gas producers which consists in suljet-timr exhaust steam to e reduetion of pres? sure, ty ien compreseinpr the steam and eimulteneously supplyinpr the compressed steiun und. :tir to the prmlueer, substantially es de.- serihed.

15. lhe herein described method of operating gue producers 'with exhaust Steele,

toe

vWhicli.consistsn reducing the ressure of exhaust steam, compressing sai steam, maintaining thepressure of the compressed steam constant, supplying the compressed steam andfair to the producer and alternately extracting and supplying steam from' and to the i'ntlal supply of steam to reduce the preslure *variations at the compressor, substan- -tially asdeseribed.

` .3. 'The herein described method of op'erating' gas ,producers .which consists in coinressing low ressure exhaust steam derived roma surtab e' source, malntanung the pressure of the'compressed steam constant, su

plying live steam to the com ressor when t e 'supply ofexhaust steam fa s below -a maximum and simultaneously su plying the corngfpressed ste and air to t e gas producerf substantiallsflyllis described.

4. The herein described method of maintaining the terminal pressure of a supply of steam which consists in sub'ecting aportion of the steam to the action o a confined body of violently agitated water partly in the form of spray at a point between the source .of supplytani the place of use, substantially as den scm e 5. The herein described method of 'maintaining the terminal pressure of a supply of steam which consists in `sub'ecting thesteam to the action of a confined ody of violently lagitated Water partly in the form of spray at a point between the source of supply and the place of use and compressing the steam in its conduit at a point between, said place of'use stantially as described.

v and the point of exposure to the water, sub- 6..The herein described-.method of oper- .y j

atn

pressing the steam to Va constant pressure at the producer, substantiall .as described.

In testimony whereof, have hereunto set my hand, this 30th day of November, 1907 4gas producers' with exhaust steam 4 0.

in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

y EDGAR RQQLEMAN; VVitness'es:v f'

Tnos. T. BLAIR, Jr., i 1

TnoMAs E. SULLIYAN.. 

